Forty four
A/N 1: Ok this is told in both Holly and Lily's POV. I've tried to make it as unconfusing and as child-friendly as possible. It has to be told in both so you see the contrast between innocent and unaware Holly and moody but aware Lily.
Holly's POV
I sat for a minute and thought how to explain it. I didn't really know how it had started. I knew when it had started. "Ok so our mum and dad divorced when I was nine. Two years ago now. We stayed with mum for a while but then dad took legal action. Claiming she was unfit to look after us," I explained slowly. I watched Jessie and Tee. They both seemed to be absorbed and neither of them were finding it funny like my so called friends had. "The truth was he was right. She was unfit to look after her. She was a stripper in a nightclub and she left us home alone over night. The court sided with dad and he got full custody of us." I took a deep breath. It was harder to repeat than it ever had been.
Lily's POV
Carmen sat opposite me and looked at me. "Go on," she said. I sighed. I hated repeating our story but she had a right to know. She'd told me why she had been there.
"Well he hadn't wanted to get custody of us. He'd wanted us safe out of her way but he didn't want us. What was a single dad going to do with two girls," I said dejectedly. It upset me that our own dad hadn't cared about us or wanted us. What parent doesn't want their child? Oh yeah. Every kid in here. "He was a slight alcoholic at the time but when he got us he became more dependent on the drink. More and more drunk. More and more of an alcoholic." I could see in Carmen's eyes the knowledge of what was about to happen.
Holly's POV
"He was awful drunk. A lot of the time he would just sleep but he'd swear a lot and forget about the dinner that was cooking or forget us. We were basically having to look after ourselves. He was hardly ever at home. I don't really know what happened but I remember about a month after going to live with dad whenever me and Lily got home from school she would look around outside first and then check all the rooms in the house before I was allowed to go in. She'd then cook me dinner and send me to bed. This was at like five in the afternoon. I never realised why. And I hate myself for that."
Lily's POV
"About a month after we started living there he started hitting me. Holly would go to bed and then he would stagger home drunk. He shout at me. Swear at me. Be abusive towards me. Tell me to do something. And if I didn't do it quick enough, he'd hit me," I told Carmen. She was watching me closely. I couldn't tell if she was looking at me in horror or shock. "I dealt with it. Didn't tell anyone about it because it was better me being hurt than Holly." I could feel the tears welling up and I turned away from Carmen. I stared into the distance. In my mind the images were playing back. "Then one day he was home before we even got back from school. And he was already drunk."
Holly's POV
"You could smell the alcohol on his breath. I knew he drank and I knew it was alcohol but I didn't realise quite why it was such an issue. We walked in. Lily took one look at him and sent me straight to bed. No dinner, nothing. Not even a goodnight hug. Just straight to bed," I explained. Jessie and Tee were both trying hard not to cry. "I saw the look of fear on her face as I walked up the stairs. I went to my room and I stayed there. But I heard it. The sound of his hand hitting her face, the kick to her stomach and her cry of pain." My eyes glazed over. "it was awful. She came up to bed soon after and he went back out. I heard the door slam so I went to Lily's room. She was crying quietly into her pillow. I went and joined her. I made her look at me and I could see the red mark where she'd been hurt. It upset me and I finally clicked." I took a deep breath and bit my lip to stop myself from crying. "the next day we went to school as normal but when we got home, he was already there again and this time Lily wasn't quick enough."
Lily's POV
"I didn't have time to send her upstairs, he came straight at me in his drunken state and went to hit me. He got me but his aim was off and he also hit Holly." I glared angrily at the wall. My voice rose an octave and I knew I sounded dangerous. "That was the last straw. The camel's back broke. We ran upstairs. I gave her a rucksack and told her to pack. I packed myself. He didn't go out that night but he was so drunk he just fell right asleep. On the chair. I grabbed Holly and we ran. We ran out the house, down the street and found somewhere safe to live. At the time it was an unused bike shed. It was shelter and safety." I broke down in tears and Carmen gave me a hug.
Holly's POV
"We lived on the streets for months. Almost a year and a half. In that time we picked up other runaways and then they left us or we decided we were getting too noticeable and we left. Eventually we found Jade. Jade was lovely to us and she helped us. She knew about the warehouse but she hadn't expected it to be occupied. But it was and Zach and your cousins were very welcoming. It was like a home away from home and it was safety. Safety from our dad and our mum." I was still holding back the tears and Tee and Jessie saw this. They pulled me into a massive group hug and I cried. I cried for the first time in a year and a half. For the first time since we ran away.
A/N 2: I made myself cry. Never a good idea. Yeah so that is Lily and holly's story. I know a lot of you don't like violent scenes or any extreme scenes so it isn't. It's a very simple and often occurring runaway story. I hope you liked it. Back to school next chapter, Indigo :)